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Zambian Defence Force

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Template:Infobox national military

File:Zambia-Army-OR-8.svg
Rank insignia of Warrant Officer Class 2 for the army of Zambia

The Zambian Defence Force is the military of Zambia. It consists of the Zambian Army, the Zambian Air Force, and the Zambia National Service.<ref name=Ourselves>Template:Cite book</ref> The defence forces were formed at Zambian independence on 24 October 1964, from constituent units of the dissolved Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland Armed Forces.<ref name=Wele>Template:Cite book</ref> During the 1970s and 1980s, it played a key role in a number of regional conflicts, namely the South African Border War and Rhodesian Bush War.<ref name=covert>Template:Cite book</ref> Being a landlocked country Zambia has no navy, although the Zambian Army maintains a maritime patrol unit for maintaining security on inland bodies of water.<ref name="lusakavoice.com">'Zambia Army Commando Unit splits, forms Marine Unit', Lusaka Voice, 18 February 2015, accessed 5 February 2017, <http://lusakavoice.com/2015/02/18/zambia-army-commando-unit-splits-forms-marine-unit/ Template:Webarchive></ref>

HistoryEdit

Background and independenceEdit

The Zambian Defence Force had its roots in the Northern Rhodesia Regiment, a multi-ethnic military unit which was raised by the British colonial government and had served with distinction during World War II.<ref name="Ourselves" /> In 1960, the constituent colonies of Northern Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia, and Nyasaland were amalgamated into a self-governing British dependency known as the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.<ref name="Command">Template:Cite thesis</ref> When the federation was dissolved three years later, the assets and personnel of its armed forces were integrated with those of its successor states, including Northern Rhodesia, which subsequently gained independence as Zambia.<ref name="Command" /> For example, Zambia received half the federal armoured car squadron as well as some light patrol aircraft.<ref name="trade">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Zambia also inherited the command structures of the Northern Rhodesia Regiment as well as the Northern Rhodesian Air Wing, which formed the basis for the new Zambian Army and Zambian Air Force, respectively.<ref name="Command" />

Relations almost immediately soured between Zambia and Southern Rhodesia, now known simply as Rhodesia, which had issued its own unilateral declaration of independence (UDI) in 1965.<ref name="Studies2004">Template:Cite book</ref> Reports that Rhodesian security forces had occupied Kariba Dam prompted Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda to mobilise the ZDF for the first time and deploy troops to the border.<ref name="Studies2004"/> The ZDF was withdrawn when Kaunda received a guarantee that Zambia's supply of Kariba power would not be interrupted.<ref name=Wilkenfeld>Template:Cite book</ref> Nevertheless, military tension between the two nations remained high, and border incidents resulting in civilian deaths occurred.<ref name=Tordoff>Template:Cite book</ref> In November 1966, Rhodesian troops fired across the border and killed a Zambian woman on the north bank of the Zambezi River.<ref name=Tordoff/> In January 1973, Zambian troops fired on a South African police patrol boat on the Zambezi.<ref name=Tordoff/> Shortly afterwards, Defence Minister Grey Zulu ordered that the ZDF return to the border in force.<ref name=Tordoff/> Later in the month Kaunda brought the first of several complaints before the United Nations Security Council charging that Rhodesian security forces were violating Zambia's sovereignty and territorial integrity with South African support.<ref name=Tordoff/> Tensions flared again when Zambian troops fired across the border and killed two Canadian tourists on the Rhodesian side of Victoria Falls in May 1973.<ref name=Scully>Template:Cite book</ref>

The increasing prospect of war with Rhodesia posed several unique security dilemmas for the ZDF.<ref name=Tordoff/> Firstly, Zambia lacked the manpower or conventional hardware necessary to provide a suitable deterrent to a Rhodesian incursion.<ref name=Tordoff/> It also remained dependent on a relatively small pool of white senior officers and technical personnel.<ref name=Tordoff/> After 1967 Kaunda's government began replacing them with foreign officers on contract, ostensibly to minimise the potential for conflicts of loyalty.<ref name=Tordoff/> Between 1967 and 1970 the majority of officers in the ZDF were seconded from the British Army.<ref name=Tordoff/> In 1971, the ZDF was finally prepared to appoint its first black army and air force commanders.<ref name="Command"/> Due to the white community's close ties with Rhodesia and South Africa, white Zambians were subsequently barred from voluntary enlistment and granted a blanket exemption from conscription.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Around September 1967, Kaunda made two requests to the United States for equipment for the Zambian Army, including long-range missile systems, but was rebuffed.<ref name=Atomic>Template:Cite book</ref> More successful were Zambia's attempts to acquire its first combat aircraft, a number of Aermacchi MB-326 and SIAI-Marchetti SF.260s sourced from Italy;<ref name="trade"/> the first black Zambian Air Force pilots were trained by Italian instructors between 1966 and 1969.<ref name=Atomic/> Italy also sold the ZDF helicopters and towed artillery.<ref name="trade"/>

Involvement in regional conflicts, 1968–80Edit

During the 1970s, Zambia began providing sanctuary for a number of revolutionary and militant political movements dedicated to overthrowing colonial and white minority rule elsewhere on the African continent.<ref name=Hughes>Template:Cite book</ref> Guerrilla armies based in exile in Zambia included the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN)<ref name=covert/> and the Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA).<ref name=Hughes/> These movements ultimately embroiled the ZDF in their own internal power struggles<ref name=Chesterman>Template:Cite book</ref> as well as direct clashes with foreign troops carrying out preemptive strikes.<ref name=Hughes/> In 1968, the ZDF skirmished with Portuguese troops which had pursued a number of Angolan or Mozambican insurgents into Zambia.<ref name=Tordoff/> In September 1975, Zambian troops became locked in a firefight with insurgents of the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA).<ref name="ZANLA">Template:Cite book</ref> The ZDF killed eleven ZANLA insurgents and later expelled that movement from Zambian soil.<ref name="ZANLA"/> A year later, nearly two thousand<ref name="Frontiersmen">Template:Cite book</ref> disaffected PLAN insurgents in Zambia launched a mutiny which became known as the "Shipanga Affair".<ref name="Sellström">Template:Cite book</ref> The army was forced to marshal several battalions to subdue the dissidents.<ref name=Chesterman/>

In response to Zambia's increasingly open support for PLAN, South Africa sponsored a force of Kaonde-speaking dissidents under Adamson Mushala, known as the Zambian Democratic Supreme Council (DSC).<ref name="Zambian">Template:Cite book</ref> The DSC maintained a low level insurgency in Zambia's North-Western and Western Provinces.<ref name="Beggar">Template:Cite book</ref> Mushala's guerrillas sabotaged infrastructure, skirmished with the ZDF, and collected intelligence on PLAN movements inside Zambia.<ref name="Dreyer">Template:Cite book</ref> They were trained by South African Special Forces and instructors recruited from the Portuguese Directorate-General of Security.<ref name=Caprivi>Template:Cite book</ref> In 1973, an army unit killed a hundred of the guerrillas by ambushing them as they attempted to cross the Zambezi near the Caprivi Strip.<ref name=Caprivi/> Mushala was largely inactive until early 1976, when his guerrillas skirmished twice with the ZDF and hijacked an army payroll.<ref name="Zambian"/>

As a result of the new challenges posed by the Mushala insurgency and the presence of foreign militants, the ZDF underwent an extensive reorganisation and adopted a new unified command structure.<ref name="Command"/> It was renamed the Zambian National Defence Force (ZNDF) in 1976.<ref name="Command"/> A prevailing feature of the new ZNDF was its adoption of a third branch known as the Zambian National Service.<ref name="Command"/> The objective of the Zambian National Service was to provide basic military instruction to all Zambian citizens in the event they needed to be mobilised as reservists during wartime.<ref name=Ourselves/> The ZNDF became increasingly politicised, with the ruling United National Independence Party (UNIP) forming party branches in the barracks and introducing a number of political education programs for military personnel.<ref name=Phiri>Template:Cite book</ref> Under the UNIP, the ZNDF was not subject to public audit or parliamentary oversight.<ref name=Phiri/> This was justified under the pretext that the ZNDF's development was tied to the exigencies of wartime.<ref name=Phiri/>

Between 1977 and 1980 military tension with South Africa and Rhodesia continued to escalate, resulting in a renewed spate of border incidents.<ref name="Africa">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1977, the ZNDF bombarded Rhodesian positions near Victoria Falls with rocket and mortar fire.<ref name="Africa"/> The reasons for the attack were disputed but the Zambian government maintained that the troops involved had been deliberately provoked by Rhodesian forces into firing.<ref name="Africa"/> Around March 1978, the ZNDF claimed to have been involved in repelling a Rhodesian raid on a ZIPRA training camp.<ref name="Raid">Template:Cite news</ref> It also assisted PLAN insurgents during a raid on a South African military base in the Caprivi Strip.<ref name=covert/> South Africa retaliated by shelling several ZNDF positions near the border,<ref name="Borderstrike">Template:Cite book</ref> and Rhodesia began targeting ZNDF outposts.<ref name="TDJ">Template:Cite news</ref> Growing Zambian war weariness was a significant factor in Kaunda's influencing the guerrilla movements in Rhodesia to seek peace, resulting in a negotiated end to that conflict.<ref name=Hughes/> Kaunda also bowed to South African pressure and ordered PLAN to close its rear base facilities in Zambia by 1979.<ref name="LM">Template:Cite book</ref> At the same time, the ZNDF embarked on a 70 million kwacha modernisation program with assistance from the Soviet Union.<ref name=DeRoche>Template:Cite book</ref> The Soviets provided the Zambian Army with tanks, wheeled armored vehicles, and technical instruction on especially generous terms; the Zambian Air Force received its first fighter aircraft in the form of a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 squadron at the same time.<ref name=DeRoche/>

End of the Cold War and reformsEdit

In October 1980, two ZNDF officers, Brigadier Godfrey Miyanda and Colonel Patrick Mkandawire were arrested for planning a coup d'état with the support of an exiled Congolese insurgent movement, the Front for Congolese National Liberation (FLNC).<ref name=Atomic/> The plot involved arming the FLNC with ZNDF weaponry and later providing that movement with rear operating bases in Zambia as a reward for their efforts if the coup succeeded.<ref name=Atomic/> The ZNDF and the police apprehended the conspirators before they had opportunity to set the coup in motion and later raided the FLNC's base camp, detaining most of the insurgents.<ref name=Atomic/>

Due in part to the extreme secrecy surrounding the ZNDF's budget and the refusal of the UNIP to allow parliamentary debate on the topic, a number of problems concerning military funding were covered up rather than addressed.<ref name=Phiri/> For example, the facilities at ZNS training camps were so inadequate that typhoid outbreaks became common among recruits.<ref name=Phiri/> This was due to lack of funds to filter the camps' drinking water.<ref name=Phiri/> After a particularly serious typhoid outbreak between 1980 and 1981, the government was forced to suspend and later stop the compulsory national service programme.<ref name=Phiri/>

In November 1982, the ZNDF killed Adamson Mushala in an ambush outside Solwezi, although his followers continued to carry out operations under the leadership of Alexander Saimbwende.<ref name="Zambian"/> The DSC continued to pose a sufficient threat that an Italian mineral survey team had to be evacuated from Northwestern Province in 1984 after being targeted by the guerrillas.<ref name="Beggar"/> Nevertheless, the erosion of South African support ensured that its forces remained small and poorly armed.<ref name="Zambian"/> Mushala and later Saimbwende turned to ivory poaching to sustain their war effort against the ZNDF.<ref name="Zambian"/>

As the Mozambican Civil War intensified, the ZNDF had to contend with a number of armed incursions by Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO) insurgents, who raided Zambian border towns in search of food and other supplies.<ref name="RENAMO">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The ZNDF made it a policy to pursue RENAMO into neighbouring Mozambique in hot pursuit if necessary.<ref name="RENAMO"/>

In 1988, a second coup d'état attempt was planned, this time by Lieutenant General Christian Tembo and at least three other senior army officers.<ref name=Chan>Template:Cite book</ref> The conspirators were detained before they could carry it out, but this temporarily jeopardised relations between the Zambian government and the army.<ref name="Command"/>

The end of the Cold War brought a number of changes to the Zambian political situation and the ZNDF.<ref name=MacDonald>Template:Cite book</ref> The ZNDF remained heavily in debt with the former Soviet bloc for military equipment it had purchased in the 1980s, as well as interest accrued.<ref name=MacDonald/> The army in particular was badly affected by the collapse of its Soviet technical training program, which left much of its heavy weapons unserviceable.<ref name=Howe>Template:Cite book</ref>

Following mass protests over President Kaunda's decision to cut subsidies for maize meal and double maize prices in 1990,<ref name=Brancati>Template:Cite book</ref> Captain Mwamba Luchembe single-handedly seized the national radio station and announced a coup d'état.<ref name=Chan/> Luchembe held the radio station for only two hours before being arrested.<ref name=Coups>Template:Cite book</ref> Kaunda's unpopularity led to demonstrations in support of Luchembe, however, and the same day the president announced he would seek a referendum on democratic multi-party elections.<ref name=Brancati/> Kaunda granted a blanket amnesty to his political opponents as he prepared to accept the return of multi-party elections, which would shortly thereafter end his term of almost three decades.<ref name="Zambian"/> Among those who received amnesty was Alexander Saimbwende, who surrendered to the government and ended the DSC insurgency.<ref name="Zambian"/>

The 1991 general election brought Frederick Chiluba and his opposition Movement for Multi-Party Democracy to power and ushered in a period of reforms for the ZNDF.<ref name="Command"/> The Chiluba government dismantled the ZNDF's unified command structure and allowed the army, ZNS, and air force to revert to independent commands.<ref name="Command"/> The system of political patronage introduced to the ZNDF by Kaunda was also abandoned.<ref name=Phiri/> A general demobilisation programme was instituted in the army, and parliament gained the ability to debate defence expenditure.<ref name=Phiri/> The Chiluba government immediately formed a Public Accounts Committee to reduce financial irregularities in the ZNDF, most of which were linked to corruption and abuse of the ministerial tender system.<ref name=Phiri/> Zambia's 1991 constitution formally reinstated the title Zambian Defence Force for the armed forces.<ref name="Constitution1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In October 1997, Captain Steven Lungu seized control of the national radio station and announced a coup d'état.<ref name=Coups/> Lungu dismissed the chiefs of the army and police and announced that he was forming a new Government of National Redemption.<ref name="NYT">Template:Cite news</ref> He gave President Chiluba an ultimatum of three hours to surrender or face death.<ref name="NYT"/> Loyal ZDF troops responded by storming the radio station, capturing Lungu and five other coup plotters.<ref name="NYT"/>

In early August 2022, the government announced that it would recruit up to 5,000 military personnel by October of the same year.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

CommandEdit

In 1976 Zambia adopted a unified command system, in which the three Service Chiefs reported to a Commander of the Zambian National Defence Force (ZNDF). The Commander of Zambia Air Force at the time, Air Commodore Peter Zuze, was promoted to Lieutenant-General and appointed as Deputy Commander of the ZNDF.<ref>Lungu, H. & Ngoma, N. (2005) The Zambian military—trials, tribulations and hope. In: Rupiya, M. (ed.) Evolutions and Revolutions: A Contemporary History of Militaries in Southern Africa. Institute for Security Studies, Pretoria: 331-329. Template:ISBN</ref> However, the Zambia Air Force and Zambia National Service resented this system because Army officers filled most senior appointments in the ZNDF and the system was ended in 1980. The country then reverted to the command system inherited at independence where Service Chiefs report to the Head of State through a Minister of Defence.<ref name="dtic.mil">Chewe, Innocent (2014) An Examination of Professionalism in the Zambia Army, thesis presented to the Faculty of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master Of Military Art and Science, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA613529</ref>

The current (2021) Command is:

- President and Commander-in-Chief: Hakainde Hichilema (from 24 August 2021)

- Defence Minister: Ambrose Lwiji Lufuma (from 27 August 2021)

- Permanent Secretary for Defence: Norman Chipakupaku

- Commander Zambia Army: Lieut.-General Dennis Sitali Alibuzwi (from 29 August 2021)

- Deputy Commander Zambia Army: Major-General Geoffrey Zyeele (from 29 August 2021)

- Commander Zambia Air Force: Lieut.-General Collins Barry (from 29 August 2021)

- Deputy Commander Zambia Air Force: Major General Oscar Nyoni

- Commandant Zambia National Service: Lieut.-General Patrick Kayombo Solochi

- Deputy Commandant Zambia National Service: Major-General Reuben Mwewa

- Commandant Defence Services and Staff Training College: Brigadier General Benson Musonda.<ref>Zande, S. (2017) 'SADC Joint Military Training Vital - Chama', Times of Zambia (Ndola), 29 August 2017.</ref>

Zambia ArmyEdit

OrganisationEdit

The current Army organisation is:<ref name="dtic.mil"/><ref>Griffiths, J.L. (2014) ‘Zambia Defence Force’, Defenceweb.com, 8 October 2014, accessed 10 January 2017, <http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=36502:zambia-defence-force&catid=119:african-militaries Template:Webarchive></ref><ref>Lungu H. & Ngoma, N. (2005) The Zambian military—trials, tribulations and hope. In: Rupiya, M. (ed.) Evolutions and Revolutions: A Contemporary History of Militaries in Southern Africa. Institute for Security Studies, Pretoria: 331-329. Template:ISBN</ref>

Three infantry brigades -

  • 1 Brigade, Lusaka<ref>Sakala, Y. (2014) ‘64 Armoured Regiment Win 2014 Army Athletics’, Times of Zambia, 28 March 2014</ref>
  • 2 Brigade, Kabwe (during July 2016 the Brigade Commander was Brigadier Martin Banda)
  • 3 Brigade, Ndola (during March 2017 the Brigade Commander was Brigadier Laston Chabinga)

With the following units:

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • 17 Cavalry Regiment (armoured reconnaissance)
  • 10 Medium Regiment, Kalewa Barracks, Ndola (also given as an artillery regiment/brigade of two Fire Direction Artillery Battalions and one Multiple Rocket Launchers battalion)
  • 1 Engineer Regiment, Mufulira
  • 6 Construction Regiment, raised March 2017?<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • 1 mechanised battalion
  • 6 light infantry battalions, titled 1 to 6 Battalions Zambia Regiment
  • 1 Commando Battalion (special forces), Ndola
  • 48 Marine Unit, Kawambwa, raised July 2015.<ref name="lusakavoice.com"/><ref>Siame, N. (2015) 'Marine Unit Launched', Times of Zambia (Lusaka), 27 July 2015.</ref>
  • 3 reserve infantry battalions (7 to 9 Battalions Zambia Regiment<ref>For example, see Banda, G. (2009) 'Ninth Battalion, Zambia', Zambia Post, Friday 25 December 2009, (http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=3598 Template:Webarchive)</ref>)
  • Support units (logistics, transport, medical, ordnance, electrical and mechanical engineering)
  • Specialist schools (armour, artillery, engineers and signals)

EquipmentEdit

Small armsEdit

Vehicles and towed artilleryEdit

Origin Type Versions In service Notes
T-54/55 Template:USSR Main Battle Tank citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Deliveries in 1976 and 1981.
PT-76 Template:USSR Light tank 50<ref name="Arms Trade Register"/>
BTR-80 {{#invoke:flag }} Armoured Personnel Carrier citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

BTR-70 Template:USSR Armoured Personnel Carrier 20<ref name="Arms Trade Register"/>
BTR-60 Template:USSR Armoured Personnel Carrier 13<ref name="Arms Trade Register"/>
WZ551 Template:CHN Armoured Personnel Carrier 6X6 WZ551B variant.<ref name="Arms Trade Register"/> 20
Buffel Template:ZAF Armoured Personnel Carrier Rhino variant. 1<ref name="Arms Trade Register"/>
Ratel Template:ZAF Infantry Fighting Vehicle citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

GAZ Tigr {{#invoke:flag }} Infantry Mobility Vehicle citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Ferret Template:Flag Armoured car 28 Inherited from Northern Rhodesian security forces.<ref name="Arms Trade Register"/>
BRDM-2 Template:USSR Scout car 44 Acquired in 1981.<ref name="Arms Trade Register"/>
BRDM-1 Template:USSR Scout car 44 Acquired in 1980.<ref name="Arms Trade Register"/>
D-30 Template:USSR Howitzer 24<ref name="Arms Trade Register"/>
M-46 Template:CHN Howitzer Type 59 18<ref name="Arms Trade Register"/>
Elbit Spear MK2 Template:ISR self-propelled Mortar Elbit Spear MK2 citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

self-propelled variant of the Cardom mortar
ATMOS M46 Template:ISR self-propelled Howitzer Elbit Spear MK2 6<ref name="janes.com"/> mounted on Tatra trucks
BM-21 Template:USSR MLRS 50<ref name="Arms Trade Register"/>

Zambia Air ForceEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The Zambia Air Force is a small air force that developed from the Northern Rhodesian Air Wing as well as the former Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland Air Force. In recent years the aircraft inventory has largely been updated with Chinese aircraft reflecting the increasing closeness between the Zambian Defence Force and China. During 1999 eight Karakorum-8 jet trainers were delivered and in 2006 the Zambia Air Force received two Xian MA60 and five Yakovlev Yak-12 transport aircraft from China. During March 2012 a further eight K-8 were received.<ref>'Zambian Air Force receives more K-8 trainers', DefenceWeb, 16 April 2012.</ref> Four Harbin Z-9 helicopters were delivered in June 2012, with a further four delivered by March 2013 (when one of the new aircraft was lost in an accident, see below).<ref name="DefenceWeb 2013">'Zambian Air Force Z-9 crashes', DefenceWeb, 14 March 2013.</ref>

In April 2014 six Hongdu L-15 Falcon supersonic lead-in fighter/trainer jets were ordered from China, the first arriving in December 2015. Around the same time orders were placed for six SIAI-Marchetti SF.260TW trainer aircraft, one Alenia C-27J Spartan transport aircraft, and a number of Russian-made Mil Mi-17 helicopters.<ref>Nkala, O. (2015) 'Hongdu Prepares to Deliver First Light Attack/Trainer Jet to Zambia', Defensenews.com, 31 December 2015.</ref> These orders were expected to be delivered during 2016.<ref>'As Zambia Air Force Grows, it Plays a Regional Role', Africa Defence Forum, 19 July 2016, accessed 25 April 2017, <http://adf-magazine.com/?p=6306 Template:Webarchive></ref>

Recent aircraft lossesEdit

  • On 13 March 2013 a Harbin Z-9 helicopter crashed while attempting to land at Lusaka City Airport. The pilot, Major Misapa Mukupa, was killed, and the co-pilot, Lieutenant Kenneth Chilala, was injured. The helicopter was taking part in Youth Day celebrations and it was suggested the accident was caused by a national flag attached to the aircraft coming loose and then entangled in the tail rotor.<ref name="DefenceWeb 2013"/>
  • On 15 January 2014 a Saab MFI.17 Supporter trainer crashed some 40 km from Livingstone. Both crew were killed.<ref>'Zambian Air Force MFI-17 crashes', DefenceWeb, 20 January 2014.</ref><ref name="DefenceWeb 2014">'Deputy Zambian Air Force Chief killed in MFI-15 crash', DefenceWeb, 20 May 2014.</ref>
  • On 19 May 2014 a Saab MFI.15 crashed in Lusaka West. Both crew were killed. The crew were the Deputy Commander ZAF, Major-General Muliokela Muliokela, and Colonel Brian Mweene.<ref>'Zambia's Deputy Air Force Chief Killed in Plane Crash', Agence France Presse via Defensenews.com, 19 May 2014.</ref><ref name="DefenceWeb 2014"/>
  • On 14 September 2015 an Agusta-Bell AB.205 helicopter crashed near Sinazongwe, apparently while returning from taking Defence Minister Richwell Siamunene on a private trip.<ref>'Crashed ZAF Chopper Was Returning From Taking Minister to His Village', Zambian Watchdog (Lusaka), 15 September 2015.</ref> Five people were injured.<ref>'No Fatalities as ZAF Chopper Plunges', Zambia Reports (Lusaka), 15 September 2015.</ref>
  • On 28 March 2022 two Zambian Air Force pilots, Colonel Lyson Siame, and Second Lieutenant Kalasa Bwalya, were killed when their SF-260TW aircraft (registration AF-545) crashed 38 kilometres north of Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International Airport near Livingstone.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Zambia National ServiceEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The Zambia National Service is a defence wing that is mandated to train citizens to serve the republic, develop infrastructure and enhance national food security and contribute to the social economic development. Zambia National Service (ZNS) personnel have been included in peacekeeping contingents deployed by Zambia to the United Nation's MINUSCA mission in the Central African Republic.<ref>Mwenya, G.(2014) 'Zambian Peacekeeping Troops Lack Funds to Deploy to CAR', Zambia Reports, 25 November 2014.</ref>

Six months of training for 400 youths was planned for 2016. This was to include 200 males to be trained at Chiwoko ZNS Training Centre, Katete, Eastern Province, and 200 females to be trained at the Kitwe ZNS training camp.<ref>'400 Youths to Undergo ZNS Training', Times of Zambia, 27 July 2015.</ref><ref>Musonda, A. (2015) 'Zambian UN Troops to Central African Republic', Zambia Reports, 29 April 2015.</ref>

United Nations Peacekeeping MissionsEdit

Zambia has been an active participant in several UN peacekeeping operations, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. Zambian personnel have been fated to be caught up in some of the more dramatic incidents of recent UN Peacekeeping in Africa: witnessing the Kibeho Massacre in Rwanda during April 1995; having large numbers of Zambian peacekeepers taken hostage by rebels in Sierra Leone during 2000;<ref>Ashby, Phil (2003) Unscathed: Escape from Sierra Leone, Pan Macmillan Ltd, London.</ref> and with troops caught up in fighting between Sudanese and South Sudanese forces in the contested Abyei area during May 2011.<ref name="africareview.com">Mbao, E. (2011) 'Zambia defends Abyei peacekeepers', Africa Review (Kenya), 6 June 2011, accessed 20 December 2016, <http://www.africareview.com/news/Zambia-defends-Abyei-peacekeepers/979180-1176182-format-xhtml-abqrq0/index.html {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}></ref> Despite these crises Zambian forces have generally performed well and earned a reputation as effective peacekeepers.<ref>Lungu H. & Ngoma, N. (2005) The Zambian military—trials, tribulations and hope. In: Rupiya, M. (ed.) Evolutions and Revolutions: A Contemporary History of Militaries in Southern Africa. Institute for Security Studies, Pretoria: 331-329. Template:ISBN</ref><ref name="dtic.mil"/>

UN missions which have seen the deployment of battalions of Zambian troops, or other significant contingents, include the following.

UNAVEM III (United Nations Angola Verification Mission III, February 1995 to June 1997)

A Zambian battalion was deployed to southern Angola, based in the town of Menongue.<ref>Template:UN doc</ref> Seven Zambian peacekeepers died during the UNAVEM III deployment.<ref name="un.org">UN Peacekeeping, Fatalities by Nationality and Mission - up to 30 November 2018, accessed 2 January 2019, <https://peacekeeping.un.org/sites/default/files/statsbynationalitymission_2_19.pdf Template:Webarchive></ref>

UNAMIR (United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda)

Three Zambian fatalities.<ref name="un.org 2"> UN Peacekeeping, Fatalities by Nationality and Mission - up to 31 October 2016, accessed 18 November 2016, <http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/fatalities/documents/stats_2.pdf Template:Webarchive> </ref>

UNAMSIL (United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone)

Thirty-four Zambian fatalities.<ref name="un.org 2"/>

|CitationClass=web }}></ref>

  • Zambatt 5.
  • Zambatt 6.
  • Zambatt 7 (Col. John Siame) – 821 personnel; deployed February 2004 to ...<ref name="UNAMSIL 2004">UNAMSIL, 2004, ‘SRSG Decorates Zambian Peace Keepers with UN Peace Medal’, press release, 28 May.</ref> (Note: Sgt [Ms] Megani Forry died of natural causes during deployment, early 2004).<ref name="UNAMSIL 2004"/>

UNMIS (United Nations Mission in the Sudan)

Three Zambian fatalities.<ref> UN Peacekeeping, Fatalities by Nationality and Mission - up to 31 October 2016, accessed 18 November 2016, http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/fatalities/documents/stats_2.pdf Template:Webarchive </ref> Four Zambian peacekeepers were wounded on 10 May 2011,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> shortly before the independence of South Sudan and before an outbreak of fighting when the Zambians were criticised for not better protecting civilians.<ref name="africareview.com"/>

  • Zambatt 1 - Deployed for six months, to June 2010.
  • Zambatt 2 - 523 personnel strong; deployed June 2010.<ref>'Army Deploys Peace-Keepers', Times of Zambia, 30 June 2010.</ref>

MINUSCA (United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic)

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>) was to deploy in mid-2019.<ref>Kaluwa, B. (2019) 'Zambian Troops Counseled', Zambian National Broadcasting Corporation, 27 April 2019, <https://www.znbc.co.zm/news/zambian-troops-counseled/>, accessed 7 January 2020.</ref>

  • Zambatt 6 (Lt. Col. Paul Sapezo<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>) was scheduled to deploy to the Central African Republic in 2020.<ref>'Zambia Defense Force Completes U.S. Global Peace Operations Initiative Training', One Love Zambia, posted on 5 December 2019, <https://onelovezambia.com/zambia-defense-force-completes-u-s-global-peace-operations-initiative-training/ Template:Webarchive>, accessed 7 January 2020.</ref>

  • Zambatt 7 (Lt. Col Jeff Mwanahing’ombe) deployed in 2021 and returned home during September 2022.<ref>Kaumba, Kenneth (2022) 'Zambian Peacekeepers Return Home', ZNBC website, 3 September 2022, https://www.znbc.co.zm/news/zambian-peacekeepers-return-home/</ref>
  • Zambatt 8 deployed to the CAR during September 2022.<ref>Kaumba 2022</ref>

During 2017 Warrant Officer 2 Boyd Chibuye died whilst deployed in the Central African Republic.<ref>Phiri, C. (2018) 'Three Zambian Peacekeepers Honoured Posthumously', Zambia Reports, 5 June 2018, <https://zambiareports.com/2018/06/05/three-zambian-peacekeepers-honoured-posthumously/ Template:Webarchive></ref>

On 4 December 2017 a Zambian police member of the UN mission was reported injured in an attack by anti-Balaka fighters in Bria, northern CAR. One Mauritanian policeman was killed and two others injured in this attack.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Staff Sergeant Derrick Sichilyango of the Zambian Contingent was killed in a road traffic accident in November 2018.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Staff Sergeant Patrick Simasiku Wamunyima and Staff Sergeant Alex Mudenda Musanda, both serving with MINUSCA, died during 2019 and were honoured on the 2020 International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers with the posthumous award of the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal.<ref>'UN Observes International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers on 29 May 2020', press release, United Nations Information Centre Lusaka, 27 May 2020, <https://lusaka.sites.unicnetwork.org/tag/peacekeeping/>, accessed 20 September 2020.</ref>

SADC MissionsEdit

SAPMIL (SADC Preventive Mission in the Kingdom of Lesotho)

During November 2017 a small Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) standby force was deployed to Lesotho to assist that country through an internal security crisis following the assassination of the Lesotho Defence Force Commander, Lieut.-General Khoantle Motšomotšo, on 5 September 2017. This SADC force included a 207-strong military element which had a Zambian Deputy Commander and which included 36 infantry and nine logistics personnel from Zambia.<ref>Kabi, P. (2017) 'SADC Standby Force Deployment Delayed', Lesotho Times, 25 November 2017.</ref><ref>'SADC Contingent Force from Zambia Arrives in Lesotho', Government statement, Kingdom of Lesotho (Maseru), 25 November 2017.</ref> The mission wrapped up in November 2018 after successfully stabilising the Kingdom.<ref>Kabi, Pascalinah (2018) 'SADC Standby Force Has Stabilised Lesotho', Lesotho Times (Maseru), 3 March 2018.</ref><ref>'SADC Troops to Go', Lesotho Times (Maseru), 24 August 2018.</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

See alsoEdit

NotesEdit

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ReferencesEdit

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